Machine for refining flour.



PATEIITED ocT'. 2, 1906.

0. 'L. GERRARD"; MACHINE FOR REFINING FLOUR.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.18, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

"J INVENTOH mm); 621m WITNESSES.

Y ATTORNEYS No". 882,372. PATENTBD OCT. 2, 1906! 0. L. GERRARD.

MACHINE FOR RBFINING FLOUR.

APPLLOATION FILED 00118, 1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Eyafi- W/ TNESSES:

' 'INVENTOH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE L. GERRAR-I OF COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOFRED D. NAYLOR, OF COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA. I

MACHINE FOR REFINING FLOUR- Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented cat. 2, 1906.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE L. GER- RARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Columbus, in the county of Platte and StateofNebraska, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Refining Flour,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

' The invention relates to improvements in re apparatus for forcingnitric oxid'or other gas mixed with air through wheat-flour other likeproducts to refine the same; and. it consists in certain novel featuresof construction and combinations of parts, which will be fully set forthhereinafter, and particularly pointed out in. the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate asan example j I edge adapted to close the opening 27, the 11p thepreferred manner of carrying out my 1nzo vention, in which drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus with parts broken away.Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anenlarged sectional view of the generator 2 5 preferably employed. Fig.4is a detail view showing the case in which the acid-receptacle is held,and Fig. 5 is a reduced vertical section through said case.

The apparatus is provided with a suitable o frame 10, which supports thecylindric drum 11.: The drum is provided at the upper side of one endwith a flour-inlet spout 12 and at the under side of the opposite 'endwith a flour-outlet spout 14. In the drum is located 3 5 a rotaryagitator 1 5, the shaft of which is in connection with a drive-pulley16, located adjacent to the discharge end of the drum.

17 indicates a fan, which may be'of any desired sort, but is preferablyof the rotary 0 type here illustrated, and this fan is connected by abelt 18 withv the drive-pulley 16, so that the fan may be operated-withthe agitator. A dischargepipe 19 from the fanleads to the generator, aswill hereinafter fully ap- 4 5 pear, so that a mixture of air andnitricoxid is formed, and 20 lndlcates a pipe carrying this mixture to anozzle 21 in the spout 12, so"

that the mixture of air and nitric oxid is entered into the spout andpassed through the drum-11,

drum containing the mixture 0 air and oxid,

The flour being a itated 1n the as explained, absorbs said gases, andthe refined flour isejected from the spout 14, as best nozzle 25, whichcauses the air to be dis charged into the head 24 at high "elocity. Saidhead 24 supports a box or casing 26, which, as best shown in- Fig. 3,hasan opening 27 in its top, this opening passing from the top of thecasing outward to the side edge thereof. Matching with the opening 27 isan Opening 28 in the head 24. One side of the case or box 26 is open, asindicated at 20 in Figs. 3 and 4, and this opening is adapted to beclosed by a semicircular door 30. (See Fig. 4.) The door 30 has a lip 31at its upper being elevated so as also to close the opening 28 in thehead 24. (See Fig. 5.)

32 indicates a jug or receptacle for holding the nitric-acid solution.This receptacle is formed, preferably, of porcelain or some otherrefractory material and has-an open neck 33, which is adapted to fit inthe opening 28 in the under side of the head 24. Said receptacle or jug32 is placed in position in the case 26 by opening a door 30 and movingthe receptacle 32 sidewise into the case, the neck 33 sliding throughthe openings 27 and 28 into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Fitted loosely in the neck 33 of the receptacle 32 is a porcelain orother refractory tube 34, which has an open upper end and a flan e 35surrounding it, which flange rests on t e neck 33 of the jug. The lowerend of the tube 34 is closed, and said tube is provided witha loweropening 36, an upper openin 37, and two intermediate openings 38. Teseopenings communicate with the interior of the jug or receptacle 32.-'At its upper side the head 24 is provided with a stufiing-box and gland39 v through which the met'alhc rod 40 passes loosely, said rodprojecting through the head downward into the tube 34 and resting onthe; closed lower end thereof, the arrangement being such that duringthe operation ofthe apparatus the rod40 is free to move. downward intothe tube 34 by force of gravity as fast as the said rod is attacked anddisintegrated b the 2.0- tion of the acid thereon. 41 in icates athumb-screw by means of which the rod f may he held against thismovement when the device is not in operation.

Upon supplying the receptacle 32 with nitric-acid solution andintroducin the rod 40 into the tube 34, as shown in F 1g. 3, thesolution will enter the tube 34 through the bottom opening 36, and inattacking the rod 40 nitric oxid will be generated, which will pass upthrough the tube into the head 24, mixing'with the air, as explained.The rod 40 may be constructed of various -metals. The reactions in thelower part of the tube 34 develop heat, which causes the solution tocirculate-through the opening 36 and up out of the openings 38. Theupper opening 37 allows for overflow, should the solution riseexcessively in the tube, and prevents the solution from enterin the head24 of the apparatus. The air-b last passing from the fan 17 and sweepingthrough the head 24 will. gather the gas or oxid generated in the tube34 and the mixture will pass through the pipe 20 and spout 12 into thedrum 11, as before explained. In connection with the manner of feedingthe rod 40 it will be seen that said rod rests by force of gravity onthe closed lower end of the tube 34, and as fast as the rod isdisintegrated it will fall into the tube. In this manner the rod iskeptsubmerged at a uniform depth and a uniform generation of gas results.scribed forms the subject-matter of my divisional application, Serial N0. 302,414, filed February 23, 1906.

Having thus described the preferred form of my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for treating flour, comprising a frame, a drum sustainedthereby and having an inlet and outlet, an agitator The gas-generatorabove de-w passing from the fan, a gasgenerator, erator-head connectedthereto to which head thedischarge-pipe leads, and a pipep'assing fromthe generator-head to the inlet of the drum, for the purpose specified.

2. An apparatus for treating flour, comprising a frame, a drum sustainedthereby and having an inlet and outlet, an agitator in the drum, afan'mounted on the frame, means connectin the agitatorand fanto driveone fromt e other, a discharge-pipe passing from the fan, agas-generator, a generator-head connected thereto to which head thedischarge-pipe leads, a casing inclosing =the gas-generator and attachedto the generator-head, and a pi e passing from the generator-head to theinlet of the drum, for g the purpose specified.

3. An apparatus for treatingpflour comprising a frame, a drum mountedthereon and having an inlet and outlet, afan, a dis- ;charge-pipepassing therefrom, a generatoread, a gas-generator with which the headcommunicates, a contracting-nozzle discharging from the said pi e intothe head, and a pipe leading from t e head to the drum- ,inlet.

4. An apparatus for treating flour comprising a frame, a drum mountedthereon and having an inlet and outlet, a fan, a discharge-pipe passingtherefrom, a generatorhead, a gas generator with which the head:communicates, a casin generator and attached to the generator head, acontracting-nozzle discharging from the said pipe into the head, and apipe leading from the head to the drum-outlet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE L. GERRARD'.

in the drum, a fan mounted on the frame, means connectmg the agitatorand fan to drive one from the other, a d1scharge-pipe Witnesses LEANDERGERRARD, M. BRUGGER.

a gen- 5 inclosing the gas-

